MATLAB: How do you create a surf plot in cylindrical coordinates

3d plotscylindricalplotsurf

In general, the syntax for a surf plot is surf(X,Y,Z). I have u = F(r,z). I'd like to do surface plots of u for multiple cross sections at z = h1, h2, h3, etc. Is there a simple way to create a surf plot in cylindrical coordinates, i.e., something that would be analagous to the syntax: surf(r,phi,u) where u = u(r,h1)?

Best Answer

Or even easier, remember that you're not forced to put just one variable X in the first argument of surf, all you need is a parametrization. So in your case, assume you have vectors r and phi. Then make them into a grid, obtain a matrix with z-values using your function F and just plot:
[R PHI] = meshgrid(r,phi);
Z = F(R,PHI); % which assumes your function is vectorized
surf(R.*cos(PHI), R.*sin(PHI), Z);
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